What are your family holiday traditions??
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Please share your family holiday traditions...I'd love to hear them!
Tags: family, holidays, traditions
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Robinson on -
We have an informal Thanksgiving dinner at our house. When my husband and I were dating we had it at his house usually just the two of us and his brother. The second year we were married it was with more family members, this year will be different. We live in a MUCH SMALLER area, so I think we will have to "crash" someone elses thanksgiving dinner.
Okay, so if your wondering where the tradition is, in all of this? Every year, no matter what, I mess up something!!! Never fails! The first year, way too much pepper, the second year I used pickling green beans! I couldn't figure out what that "smell" was.. Ohh.. I was so upset, but it was soo funny at the same time!
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline on -
On Thanksgiving, we like to see all of our extended family (who all live in the same city making it easy for us!) We have lunch at my mom's house, then an early dinner at my girlfriend's mom's house, and finish up the day with a visit with my girlfriend's dad. It might seem like a lot for one day, but it really isn't. We find it exhilerating!
Sometimes on Christmas Eve we have a party at our house, and sometimes we go elsewhere for a party. On Christmas morning the kids open their stockings as soon as they get up! We put some healthy snack food in them in addition to other things each year making it easier to wait breakfast for after presents. When everyone is awake, we open our presents. The youngest child who can read traditionally passes the packages out, and we open them one at a time.
After presents, the kids play with their new things, and I make a big brunch! We all eat at the table together; then we go to my mom's house for more presents and Christmas dinner later.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on -
We do stocking as our family tradition. Everyone and I mean everyone get's a stocking. Parents, pets, kids, and any guests staying with us for the holidays. On Christmas morning it's the first thing you are allowed to open. The tradition has been going on for my husband's family for three generations now.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Jones-Arnold on -
We have a great Christmas tradition that I started when the kids were little.
We traditionally go to my husbands family house for the big Christmas eve family event....however while we are gone Santa drops by and drops off Santa Jammies for the whole family in a big bag. When the kids were little I would get matching pajamas for all three kids and something for my husband and I. Now that they are bigger I try to stay in the same color scheme. The GREAT thing is...the kids love it and are so excited (and still can't figure out how Santa comes every Christmas eve to our house) and on Christmas morning everyone is dressed in cute, Christmas-themed pajamas which makes great pictures! Great tradition that the kids and I love!
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Permalink Reply by Desiree Stanley on -
For the last 8 years or so, we've had Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I prepare the turkey, sweet potatos (with marshmellows OF COURSE), green bean casserole, and cranberries - must be canned cranberries. ;) My MIL brings several other side dishes & other family or guests bring the rolls & pies. Then we stuff ourselves with food, wine, and dessert & settle our behinds on the sofa for awhile.
The day after Thanksgiving I set-up all our Christmas decorations! Including the two trees... I finally caved on this one and we got two pre-lighted trees. I love the no hassle, no mess! And we got some really nice quality trees so they look fantastic! The girls help me put all the ornaments on the trees and we listen to Christmas music the whole time.
On Christmas Eve we have my In laws over to eat dinner & open presents. On Christmas morning, we have a big breakfast & open presents with my mom and our girls then later in the day we go to my dad's and have MORE food and MORE presents!! It is quite a splendid time. :)
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Permalink Reply by Tara on -
Valentines is very special at our house! Tradition here is that I make a "pink and red" dinner! We have ham, strawberries and mashed potatoes (that I put red food coloring in), pink cornbread (yes, more food coloring), cherry 7-up! My kids LOVE it and look forward to it every year! Not the most "nutritional" dinner we have ever had, but it sure it fun!!
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Permalink Reply by Cindy O'Farrell on -
Thank you Louise for sharing! What a cute way to celebrate Christmas! Cindy
Louise said:Last year was our first year with Zoe now we have Miles too. So we read the story about Christmas and then we open one present. When we get up, we turn on the video camera and take the babies opening their stockings. Then we have breakfast and open presents. Last year it took five hours. Not because we had that much to open, but because we let Zoe open everything and we had to take a break or two for naps. It was just the three of us so it was a lot of fun.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy O'Farrell on
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OMG! Megan...I love it:) The videos are adorable..can't wait till we see this year's Christmas.
Thank you for sharing your family's traditions.
Megan Calhoun said:We cut the cord last year and decided to make the holidays our own affair. Here's what we've started as far as family traditions. Prepare to be nauseous:
1) The day after Thanksgiving, we head to the Frosty Mountain Tree Farm in Sonoma County. We enjoy the festivities (hayrides, petting zoo, pony rides) and chop down a tree. Hubby lashes tree to roof.
2) We go for a snack at the Twin Hill Apple Ranch. Insane apple pies and great area for the kids to play around in.
3) Hit the road for a little trip down to Occidental, CA. It's a cool, bohemian logging town that does very little logging. We get dinner at an impossibly old Italian supper club that makes guests eat at communal tables. Sounds aweful, I know, but it's awesome. Complete mayhem, but it's warm and inviting and smiles abound.
4) Back to Marin County -- kids snooze all the way home. Video of this part is available here:
5) We bring out the Elf on the Shelf. If you have kids under five, do the Christmas thing, and don't know what this is -- you need to lean in on this one. It's the GREATEST CONTROL MECHANISM KNOWN TO MAN when it comes to toddlers.
Time passes, and it's the weekend before Christmas. Where do we take the kids? You guessed it: straight to Novato, CA to visit some of the most over the top lighting excesses ever witnessed in suburbia. Don't believe me? Stay tuned for the video below.
Christmas eve, we head into the city to grab an early dinner in a very old but very good restaurant in Chinatown. Nothing fancy. Bellies filled, we head to our little church in the city -- which was built in 1884 and is a registered national historic landmark (it's an early example of the arts & crafts movement). The fireplace roars during the small service. I told you it's nauseating!!
Back at the house -- it's time for notes and beer for Santa. Kids off to bed. Typical morning mayhem followed by a late-afternoon feast with other transplanted midwesterners. I can't wait!! Last year's video is here, complete with a Jackson 5 soundtrack:
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Permalink Reply by Cindy O'Farrell on
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What a beautiful way to start the Holiday season Barbara! Thank you sharing:)
Barbara Forbes-Lyons said:We started a new tradition last night (Kol Nidre, the night when Yom Kippur starts). We went around the table and everyone apologized for any hurt caused in the last year and we said one thing that we are going to improve over the next year.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy O'Farrell on
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I truly understand about having a big family...I do too!!! Loved reading all about your family tradition..thank you for sharing Elizabeth.
Elizabeth said:I've had the same tradtions for as long as I can remember though things have changed a little since getting married.
We have our big family get together on Thanksgiving. We switch homes so no one has to host every year, though since my aunt opened a restaurant we now do it there. My mom is one of 6 kids so between all of my aunt/uncles and cousins, and now spouses and their kids we end up with 30-45 people. Everyone brings something so no one has to do the cooking. Its great.This is also when we do our gift exchange so we don't have to buy for a zillion people! The adults draw names seperately from the kids. It works out great.
On Christmas Eve we always have seafood. We always Mussell Stew and Scallop Chowder. Being here in Maine the seafood is always fresh and easy to get. After drive around surrounding towns to look at all the lights. Everyone has their lights on, on Christmas Eve. When we get home we open one gift. Christmas morning we get up and open our stocking and then have breakfast. This keeps the anticipation going a little bit longer. We have crabmeat quiche and sticky buns for breakfast every year. Though I'm the only one who has it now so I just make a small one. Then we sit and someone gets to play Santa and hand everyone a gift. We open our gifts one at a time so we can all enjoy the joy of each person as they open their present. It's really a lovely day.
The only other thing we really do is have all of our thank you notes done before New Year's eve. Then New Year's Eve we play games and stay up to watch the ball drop. We usually have sparkling cider in champagne glasses and a really yummy chocolate dessert. The kids think its great to have sweets that night.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy O'Farrell on
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Thank you for sharing Bad Cat!
Bad Cat said:What a nice discussion. We move all over the place since we're military. We have an open door policy year round at our house. For thanksgiving, it depends on how close we are geographically to our family. The same for Christmas, but people usually travel to see us. I make fondue Christmas Eve and then we open presents the next day, eat Xmas dinner, nap, etc.
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Permalink Reply by WaterPixie on -
for Halloween time, we have a pumpkin patch that we visit every year. My boys get to pick a pumpkin and we take family pictures here. Last year I started doing individual family portraits, too. This way we have updated pictures in the house and it's a lovely backdrop for the photos!
For Christmas time, we always put a train around the tree. A few years ago we went big and bought the Polar Express train set by Lionel! The boys love helping my husband set it up and we let them take turns running the train each night before bedtime.
We don't really have a Thanksgiving tradition. This has turned out to be the Holiday that we are most flexible on. Sometimes we ditch the family get togethers and just go to Disneyland. LOL!
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